Reasons Revisited

Hello! Do you ever glance at your phone to check an email then look up to discover that two hours have gone by? In a world where information is abundant, our attention is hot property. What exactly do we know about how our attention is drawn and held by the environment and technology around us? We talk to Professor Polly Dalton who researches the psychology of attentional capture and to tech ethicist James Williams about why the issue of the attention economy cuts deep. Does it have the potential to change the course of our lives and restrict our freedom? We try to break free from the shackles of Silicon Valley with Tom Hodgkinson, editor of The Idler, who tells us about his strategy to resist the demands on our attention and time without even having to resort to a brick phone.

Plus: Ed’s in denial about his National Portrait Gallery debut...

Guests

James Williams, technology ethicist at the Oxford Internet Institute and the author of Stand Out of Our Light: Freedom and Resistance in the Attention Economy (@WilliamsJames_)

Polly Dalton, professor of cognitive psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London (@PollyDalton)

Tom Hodgkinson, editor of the Idler magazine and author of How to Be Idle (@idler)

More information

Buy or read a copy of James’ book (open access) here

Watch a video of James talking about the attention economy (Youtube)

Subscribe to the Idler or purchase Tom’s book How to be Idle

Is modern life ruining our powers of concentration? (The Guardian, 2023)

Ed mentions The Shallows by Nicholas Carr

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Hello! You may not know it, but for decades Britain has enabled the dodgy dealings of the world's criminals, tax dodgers and kleptocrats, says journalist Oliver Bullough. He's been digging deep into Britain’s role as a 'butler to the world' for years, but very little has changed. Estimates suggest that the equivalent of three times the NHS budget is lost to the economy through corruption every year, so why isn’t the government acting? Oliver is joined by Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge to discuss how and why Britain got into the business of dirty money, why we all should care about corruption, and what we can do to change it.

Plus: Has Ed finally got his own back on Geoff following the vegan cheese making incident?

Guests

Oliver Bullough, Journalist and Author of Butler to the World and Moneyland (@OliverBullough)

Dame Margaret Hodge, Labour MP for Barking and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax (@margarethodge)

More information

Buy a copy of Oliver’s book ‘Butler to the World: How Britain became the servant of tycoons, tax dodgers, kleptocrats and criminals

The APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax

Support and learn more about the work of Transparency International (@anticorruption), Global Witness (@Global_Witness), Spotlight on Corruption (@EndCorruptionUK)

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Hello! Geoff’s off this week and friend of the pod and writer Melissa Benn is practicing what we preach in this episode by trialing a new vocation as podcast co-host. This week, sparked by the news of the resignation of Jacinda Ardern and Nicola Sturgeon - we’re talking all about what happens when you take a step back from a high-pressure job. What comes next? And why is the way we think about careers all wrong? We talk to four guests about navigating new career paths, having a mid-career gap year, and whether the dream job really exists.

Plus: Ed’s gone down a new internet rabbit hole. What is it this time?

Guests

Dr Ali Budjanovcanin, Senior Lecturer in Work Psychology and Public Sector Management at King’s College London, and Career Coach (@AliBudj)

Lucy Kellaway, Economics Teacher and Co-Founder of NowTeach (@lucykellaway / @NowTeachOrg)

Katie White, taking a career break from her role at WWF (@KatieJWhite)

Jaega Wise, Co-Founder and Head Brewer at Wild Card Brewery, London (@jaegawise)

More info

Follow Melissa on Twitter (@Melissa_Benn)

Interested in a career in teaching? Learn more about NowTeach

Attend the 'Teaching Curious with Lord Blunkett' event, hosted by NowTeach (May 23rd)

Check out Wild Card Brewery

Ready to quit your job? Here are 17 things to ask yourself first. (Opinion, Guardian, August 2021)

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Hello! A growing movement of businesses argues we need to rethink their role in society. At the forefront of this are BCorps - a new type of business putting purpose alongside profit. We chat to Paul Lindley, founder of Ella’s Kitchen, about why they became a BCorp and what he’s calling for next. Then academic Lenore Palladino explains how we could embed these principles more widely.

PLUS QI elf Anne Miller on everything from cold sausages to Canadian airports...

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Would you like to work less, feel happier and maybe even do something good for the planet, all with no loss in pay? It’s a dream that could soon become a reality for many, after the world's biggest four day week trial wrapped up last year. We explore the results and dig back through our audio archives to revisit the history of a shorter working week, why it could be a solution to Britain's flatlining productivity problem, and what comes next for the four day week campaign.

Guests

Andrew Barnes, 4 Day Week - Global (@4dayweek_global)

Kate Bell, TUC (@kategobell)

Rachel Kay, Researcher and Will Stronge, co-founder of think-tank Autonomy (@w_stronge / @Autonomy_UK)

More information

Listen to RTBC 55 Living for the (three day) weekend (October 2018)

Listen to RTBC 126 The Four Day Future: Building a movement for shorter working hours (Feb 2020)

Read the report by think tank Autonomy The Results are In: The UK’s four-day week pilot (Feb 2023)

Read more about the UK’s 4 Day Week Campaign

Read more about the global movement for a four day week

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